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Home / Equine Research Bank / BMC Vet Res / Validation of a smart textile device for long-duration heart...
BMC veterinary research2025; 21(1); 675; doi: 10.1186/s12917-025-05120-0

Validation of a smart textile device for long-duration heart rate variability and detection of physiological arrhythmias in resting horses.

Abstract: A smart textile device has been developed for the recording of electrocardiograms (ECGs) in horses; however, the utility of this device for long-duration heart rate variability (HRV) monitoring and detection of physiological arrhythmias is unknown. Therefore, the objective of this study was to validate a smart textile device for HRV over long durations (6 h) in resting horses. ECGs were recorded simultaneously via the Myant Skiin Equine textile device and a reference device (Televet 100) in 12 horses. ECGs were evaluated by a blinded observer for arrhythmias, and HRV metrics were calculated. Agreement between the two devices was assessed via Bland‒Altman analysis and Lin's concordance correlation coefficient. Results: Substantial to perfect agreement was found for all the HRV metrics. Physiological arrhythmias were detected in all the recordings from the twelve horses. Small biases and substantial to perfect agreement were found between the two devices for sinoatrial blocks (ρc = 0.99), sinus pauses (ρc = 0.96), sinus arrhythmias (ρc = 0.96), sinus tachycardia (ρc = 0.99), and 2nd degree atrioventricular blocks (ρc = 1.0). Conclusions: This study demonstrates that a smart textile system is a practical alternative to the standard telemetric device for long-duration assessment of HRV and the detection of physiological arrhythmias in healthy, resting horses.
© 2025. The Author(s).
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Publication Date: 2025-11-19 PubMed ID: 41257881PubMed Central: PMC12628555DOI: 10.1186/s12917-025-05120-0Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
  • Validation Study

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

Research Overview

  • This study validated the accuracy of a smart textile device for long-term recording of heart rate variability (HRV) and detection of physiological arrhythmias in resting horses by comparing it to a standard reference ECG device.
  • The smart textile device showed high agreement with the reference device, indicating it can reliably monitor heart activity over extended periods in horses.

Background and Purpose

  • Electrocardiograms (ECGs) are essential for monitoring the heart’s electrical activity, including HRV and arrhythmias.
  • Traditional ECG devices used in horses can be bulky or impractical for long-duration monitoring.
  • A new smart textile device, integrated into horse-wearable fabric, has been developed for easier ECG recording over longer periods.
  • Before widespread use, this smart textile needed validation for its accuracy and reliability in measuring HRV and detecting arrhythmias compared to established devices.
  • The study focused on resting horses during a 6-hour monitoring period to understand the device’s performance in a controlled but extended setting.

Methods

  • Twelve healthy horses were equipped simultaneously with two ECG recording devices: the Myant Skiin Equine smart textile and the Televet 100 reference telemetric device.
  • The recording duration was 6 hours, focusing on resting horses to minimize external noise and movement artifacts.
  • ECG signals from both devices were evaluated by an observer who was blinded to the device identity to prevent bias in arrhythmia detection.
  • Heart Rate Variability (HRV) metrics were calculated from the recordings as indicators of autonomic regulation and heart rhythm health.
  • Statistical analyses were conducted to assess agreement: Bland–Altman analysis was used to quantify biases, and Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient (ρc) measured precision and accuracy between devices.

Results

  • Substantial to perfect agreement was observed for all HRV metrics between the smart textile and the reference device, indicating very similar outputs.
  • Physiological arrhythmias such as sinoatrial blocks, sinus pauses, sinus arrhythmias, sinus tachycardia, and second-degree atrioventricular (AV) blocks were detected in all horse recordings.
  • The smart textile device showed near-perfect agreement with the reference device in detecting each type of arrhythmia:
    • Sinoatrial blocks: ρc = 0.99
    • Sinus pauses: ρc = 0.96
    • Sinus arrhythmias: ρc = 0.96
    • Sinus tachycardia: ρc = 0.99
    • Second-degree AV blocks: ρc = 1.0 (perfect agreement)
  • Slight biases between devices were small enough not to impact clinical interpretation.

Conclusions and Implications

  • The smart textile ECG device is demonstrated to be a reliable and practical alternative to standard telemetric ECGs in horses for long-term monitoring.
  • Its ability to accurately monitor HRV and detect common physiological arrhythmias can support better cardiac health assessments in horses during rest.
  • Smart textile technology offers advantages such as improved comfort, less obtrusiveness, and the potential for easier use in field conditions or extended monitoring scenarios.
  • This validation supports future use of smart textiles in equine cardiology and suggests potential application in other animals or longer-term ambulatory monitoring.

Cite This Article

APA
McCrae P, Spong H, Moorehead J, Pearson W. (2025). Validation of a smart textile device for long-duration heart rate variability and detection of physiological arrhythmias in resting horses. BMC Vet Res, 21(1), 675. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-025-05120-0

Publication

BMC veterinary research
ISSN: 1746-6148
NlmUniqueID: 101249759
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 21
Issue: 1
Pages: 675
PII: 675

Researcher Affiliations

McCrae, Persephone
  • Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada. perse.mccrae@myant.ca.
  • Animal Sciences Division, Myant Inc, Mississauga, ON, L5K 2L1, Canada. perse.mccrae@myant.ca.
Spong, Hannah
  • Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada.
Moorehead, Jordyn
  • Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada.
Pearson, Wendy
  • Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Horses
  • Heart Rate / physiology
  • Electrocardiography / veterinary
  • Electrocardiography / instrumentation
  • Textiles
  • Arrhythmias, Cardiac / veterinary
  • Arrhythmias, Cardiac / diagnosis
  • Male
  • Female
  • Horse Diseases / diagnosis

Conflict of Interest Statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: All experimental procedures were approved by the University of Guelph’s Animal Care Committee (Animal Use Protocol #4705) and were carried out in accordance with the national and institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals. Written informed consent was obtained from the owners of all the horses. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: Authors P.M. and H.S. hold Mitacs Accelerate fellowships at Myant, Inc., the company that produces the smart textile system utilized in this study. No fees were received for the data collection, analysis, or preparation of this manuscript.

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